Latest news bulletin | September 15th – Morning
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00:00Countries in Central Europe are being hit by severe floods and in Romania at least four
00:05people have died.
00:11Joe Biden dismisses a threat from Vladimir Putin about a war with the West if Ukraine
00:16is allowed to strike targets inside Russia.
00:22Over 200 soldiers have been released in a prisoner deal between Ukraine and Russia.
00:32Central European countries are preparing for the worst as torrential rainstorms are causing
00:37severe floods across the region.
00:40In Romania, at least five people were killed and rescue services worked urgently to save
00:4595 people in affected areas.
00:49The Czech Republic is now taking emergency precautions as meteorologists warn for further
00:55floods.
00:56Protective barriers are being put up in Prague and water was released from dams to make space
01:01in reservoirs.
01:03In Brno, patients at a hospital are currently being evacuated.
01:08The Czech Central Flood Commission announced on Saturday that the most critical situation
01:13is in the Moravian-Silesian region, calling for a state of danger to be declared.
01:21In the Austrian Kampf Valley, fire brigades are also bracing for worst-case scenarios.
01:29The situation is tense as many Central Europeans think back to 1997 when devastating floods
01:35killed over 100 people.
01:42US President Joe Biden has brushed off a threat from Russia's leader Vladimir Putin about
01:47a war with the West if Ukraine's allies allow it to use weapons to strike targets deeper
01:52inside Russia.
01:53Asked what he thought about Putin's comments and talks with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer,
01:58Biden said, I don't think much about Vladimir Putin.
02:02Starmer also made no mention of granting Ukraine permission to use Western-donated
02:07long-range missiles to hit Russian military targets.
02:11Meanwhile at the United Nations, Moscow's ambassador told the Security Council that
02:16NATO would be conducting direct war with Russia if approval were given to use Western-donated
02:22weapons to strike Russia.
02:23We're not talking about a game here, Vasily Nebensia said.
02:29Despite warnings of a severe escalation from the Kremlin, Ukraine's President Volodymyr
02:34Zelensky remained resolute that that permission was crucial to turning the tables in the war.
02:43Russia and Ukraine have exchanged over 100 prisoners each, the Russian military announced
02:48on Saturday.
02:49103 Ukrainian servicemen were returned from Russian captivity.
02:55The health of some returnees has deteriorated significantly.
02:58Still, the soldiers embraced each other joyfully and called family members to celebrate their
03:04return.
03:05Hello, Matusya.
03:06Hello, Matusya.
03:07I'm in Ukraine now, on my homeland.
03:24The Russian Defense Ministry has also released footage of the 103 Russian soldiers.
03:29They say they were captured in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces launched their surprise
03:33offensive two weeks ago.
03:43The United Arab Emirates said Saturday it helped mediate the prisoner swap, putting
03:48the overall total number of prisoners exchanged at 206.
03:52In total, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, 57 prisoner of war exchanges have
03:57been carried out.
04:02Iran said it launched a satellite into space using a rocket built by the country's paramilitary
04:08Revolutionary Guard.
04:09It's the latest update in a program that the West fears is helping Tehran advance its ballistic
04:15missile program.
04:16In the past, the United States said Iran's satellite launches defy a UN resolution and
04:22urged Tehran not to undertake activity involving ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear
04:28weapons.
04:29Iran has always denied seeking nuclear weapons and says its space program is for purely civilian
04:34purposes.
04:35Tensions are rising not only amidst escalating fears of an all-out regional war in the Middle
04:41East, but also following EU accusations that Iran was delivering drones and missiles to
04:47Russia to use in Ukraine.
04:49Putin held talks with a top Iranian security official, thanking Iran for maintaining cooperation
04:55and saying an agreement to consolidate the partnership between both countries would be
04:59signed.